At MarkAllenOnline we coach many athletes from around the world. We have athletes from every continent that have taken advantage of our customized training programs. We coach athletes from South Africa to Oman to Macao to Australia and closer to home Mexico and Canada. It is the World Wide Web after all. Initially English was the required language but then in 2003 German speaking athletes could train with us. Now we are happy to announce that Spanish speaking triathletes can begin to take advantage of our services.
Many of our athletes from around the world are always asking us about putting to together a camp in their countries. However last November one of our Ironman athletes from Mexico Rafael Flores put together a great proposal for us. This along with our launching of our Spanish web site was a opportunity we could not pass.
When working in a foreign country it is always a good idea to speak the language. Luckily for MarkAllenOnline I was born in Colombia and although there are a few differences between Colombian Spanish and Mexican Spanish it is not too much different than a Texan and New Yorker getting together.
Every time I told anyone that we were going to Mexico the next question was where? As soon as I mentioned León very few knew where it was. León is in Central Mexico at a much lower elevation than Mexico City. It is around 4000 feet in elevation. The winters are mild and the summers are very hot. It is an arid terrain around the city.
Having someone local handle the logistics for the camp was very important. Rafael communicated with Mark Allen and I every few days to finalize the schedule. We decided to have lectures open to a larger number of people at a lower price and hands on training sessions to a much lower number of athletes for an additional fee. With everyone signed up, some carry on baggage, a passport and my airplane tickets I headed out for the airport. Oh yes 4 inches of snow on the ground slowed me down a bit. A warmer Mexico was a welcomed location.
The idea was to have Mark Allen to meet me here in Denver and we were going to fly together to Mexico. However, Mark had to make some last minute changes and he actually took the red eye and arrived in León a few hours earlier. Surprisingly there are quite a few flights that fly directly to León from the USA.
The flight went very well, the airport in León is small and reminded me of the one in Kona. You descend a ladder and walk on the tarmac before entering the terminal. Mark and Rafael were waiting for me and we headed out. Rafael’s English was fairly good. I was not sure about it as I usually emailed him in Spanish. On the way to the Hotel Rafael asked us to look to the right. There was this huge billboard announcing our camp. Very cool! When was the last time you saw a billboard for a triathlon camp. I have never seen one in the USA yet.
Rafael dropped us off at the Nueva Estancia Hotel which is a five star hotel In central León. While waiting to check in Mark hears his cell phone ring. Are you serious? I can not get calls outside my house but Mark’s cell phone works in León Mexico. It was a teacher from the school where Mark’s son attends. She had no idea Mark was in Mexico. Once in the room we had a mini bar, wireless internet, Fox sports, CNN and every amenity you can think off. There is that North American Trade Agreement working for you. I answered a few emails and headed to bed. We will meet our campers promptly at 8:00 AM. I need a good night sleep. Stay tuned for a recap of day one of the camp.